Today is the birthday, in 1856, of John Singer Sargent, an American expatriate artist, considered the “leading portrait painter of his generation” for his evocations of Belle Époque and Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings.
Born in Florence to American parents, he was trained there and in Paris before moving to London, living most of his life in Europe. He enjoyed international acclaim as a portrait painter. From the beginning, Sargent’s work is characterized by remarkable technical facility, particularly in his ability to draw with a brush, which in later years inspired admiration as well as criticism for its supposed superficiality. His commissioned works were consistent with the grand manner of portraiture, while his informal studies and landscape paintings displayed a familiarity with Impressionism.
Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, 1893
LIFE WITH CATS
Yesterday was the birthday, in 1864, of Richard Strauss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szdziw4tI9o
